By Elin Brimheim Heinesen
There is a terribly heated discussion at the moment, because a farmer is considering charging people for walking on his land. Yes, I can easily feel nostalgic like many others and think that it is a sad development that we can no longer walk freely in certain scenic areas without paying for it. But if we think a bit further, it may well be that paying to access certain special natural areas is a sensible solution to the problems that too much tourist traffic creates in these specific areas.
I must say, as a Faroese person, I also have no objection to paying a small amount to access some of the most popular places, if it can help the locals prevent wear and tear and preserve the areas – and maybe slow down the excessive influx of tourists to these places. I am rarely affected by it, because how often do I visit such places?
I actually don’t think it’s fair that only the locals should bear the burden of too many tourists. I don’t mind being supportive and doing my part by, for example, having to pay a little to go to a place where there is a special risk of the sites being worn down – or where the sites are disturbed too much due to tourists to the inconvenience of residents and wildlife.
There are still a number of places in the Faroe Islands that can be visited for free, so personally, I see no reason to panic over it if those taking care of the most popular places try to get compensation for the wear and tear they endure from the heavy traffic.
The Influx of Tourists Will Not Stop
Times are changing, and we all need to adjust to that. It’s not realistic to believe that we can go back to the way things were just 5-10 years ago. The world has discovered this gem that we possess.
Visit Faroe Islands has done well and carried out a very effective marketing campaign. But one thing we might overlook is that in reality, regardless of what Visit Faroe Islands has done – or even if they hadn’t marketed the Faroe Islands as a tourist destination at all – we would undoubtedly have seen a significant increase in tourist flow. It might not have grown as rapidly – especially in the popular places that are heavily visited – but we would have undoubtedly still had many tourists.
Ever since I was the director of Samviti from 2007-2009 (the former tourist board), I have been convinced that sooner or later, the world would take notice of the gem that the Faroe Islands are, whether we want it or not. This is mainly due to the rapid technological advancements.
Today, it’s as easy as anything for ordinary people to share pictures online – on websites and social media platforms, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, etc. Today, everyone walks around with a smartphone that can take better and better pictures – both still images and videos – just as good as the best cameras could in the past, in addition to anyone being able to buy a drone for under £100.
Just go to YouTube or Instagram and search for “Faroe Islands”. There are thousands of impressive pictures and videos from the Faroe Islands, posted by travelers sharing their own experiences, unrelated to Visit Faroe Islands.
The pictures are incredibly beautiful and very popular, showcasing our stunning country that captivates many just by seeing them. It was inevitable that knowledge of the Faroe Islands would spread worldwide with the easy access everyone has to share content, leading to a rapidly growing tourist industry today.
Even though Visit Faroe Islands would stop all efforts today to market the Faroe Islands as a tourist destination, it is too late. The “secret” is out. The influx of tourists is unlikely to be stopped, and it’s futile to resist. What we need now are constructive solutions to prevent losing control in the coming years. This calls for changes that may go against the norm and not always be popular, but ultimately benefit us all.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Tourism
Tourism affects us all – both positively and negatively. It can be problematic in certain cases – that we must acknowledge and try to find solutions for. We cannot ignore that tourism may put too much pressure on certain areas and that action needs to be taken in this regard.
But we must also remember that in other cases, we the Faroese people also benefit from tourism, that it is a valuable resource for society, and that it creates new job opportunities for, for example, young people and women who previously lacked job opportunities in the Faroe Islands. Especially in rural areas.
The Faroese public also has access to a much wider and better selection of restaurants today than ever before, because tourism increases the customer base. Also, think about how the Faroe Islands have become larger and more interesting as a result.
Give and take… So if I pay a little for the swings, I can get it back on the merry-go-rounds. One hand washes the other, right? If it can create more balance, so it’s not just a few who have to pay the price for the negative impact of tourism, why not take shared responsibility in this way? 🙂
The Responsibility Lies With the Political Authorities
I am not suggesting that one should now pay everywhere just because one goes for a walk outside city limits. There is also no suggestion that we should do so. There must be ways to avoid inflating the cost of moving around places that are not currently under pressure. This is a task for politicians, which they should take extremely seriously, sooner rather than later. However, some places are under particularly high pressure, and something must be done to protect these vulnerable areas. How do we address this challenge?
We must acknowledge that times are different now than before, and there are certain vulnerable areas that need to be specially protected. I am willing to ensure that they are – including by accepting to pay to visit these places, so we can preserve our beautiful country as untouched as possible, for the benefit of us all.
Do not misunderstand me. I do not believe that anyone who owns or leases land somewhere should be able to demand money from people arbitrarily and without regulations. Of course, such things must be regulated in a way that prevents inflation in monetary speculation.
But I do not think we can disagree that certain special areas require special protection – and a solution must be found. I do not blame farmers for trying to find a solution themselves because the pressure has become too great in certain areas. Because, as some say: It’s the wild west… The authorities have been asleep at the wheel. This means that individuals feel compelled to come up with their own solutions. Maybe not always the best solutions, but I don’t think we should blame them. It’s better to aim the blame in the right direction.
In my view, there is no doubt that the primary responsibility lies with the political authorities.
Could Have Predicted the Current Situation
In Samvit, the former tourist board that only existed for two years from 2007-2009, there was a department responsible for developing the Faroe Islands as a tourist destination. The department was almost as large as the one in charge of marketing the Faroe Islands as a tourist destination. However, the department was shut down along with SamVit in 2009 by the former Foreign Minister, Jørgen Niclasen, and was only reinstated last year!
Few believed in the potential of the Faroe Islands as a tourist destination back then. But as the director of Samvit, I was convinced that the Faroe Islands were “undiscovered gold,” and that the influx of tourists would come sooner or later – almost regardless of what else we did with marketing. I was aware that rapid technological advancement, the internet, and globalization would change everything, whether we wanted it or not. It was impossible to keep the “secret” to ourselves for long.
At SamVit, we therefore placed great emphasis on preparing for increased tourist arrivals. We organized a large conference at the Nordic House in 2007 on how we could build a sustainable tourism industry in the Faroe Islands. We focused on ecotourism because we understood that the tourism industry needed to be ready for the environmental challenges that would arise when many more tourists began to explore the Faroese nature.
All government members, all parliamentarians, and all media received an invitation to attend the conference. But what happened? Only two politicians showed up – one because he was scheduled to open the conference (he left after five minutes), and another because he was the father of one of the conference organizers. Not a single representative from the media showed up. There was simply no interest in listening to us. Many just shook their heads at this new concept in the Faroe Islands that we were trying to shed light on – “ecotourism”! Pfff… what kind of nonsense is that…?
But we knew how important it was for these two things to go hand in hand – marketing and the development of local areas to prepare them to receive more tourists – and that investments needed to be made in both areas, simply to prevent the situation we are facing today. But our words fell on deaf ears. Very few believed us when we warned that problems would arise if we didn’t better prepare ourselves to receive more guests.
The subsequent tourism council’s strategy of using all resources for marketing succeeded–in fact, more than enough, while the development of local areas was neglected for many years. Until last year. I am convinced that if the previous strategy had been maintained, the work of preparing the Faroe Islands for increased tourism would have been 10 years ahead, and we wouldn’t have as many problems as we are experiencing today. What a pity…
We Cannot Turn Back Time
This is the reality we face. The influx of tourists is growing and will continue to grow even more. We cannot stop it, as mentioned. Society will change, whether we want it or not. If we are to have any chance of maintaining even a little control, rather than just passively witnessing what is happening, politicians must act now.
Politicians need to take the issue much more seriously and recognize that investment is needed to ensure that the tourism industry is sustainable – not just economically, but also environmentally – so that the country can be preserved as clean and unspoiled as possible under the new circumstances. Tourism comes at a cost, yes, but the cost of not investing is even greater.
We cannot stand still. In other places, fees have been introduced for visiting places that are particularly vulnerable. It is entirely normal to pay for access to particularly attractive places that are at risk of being worn down – whether they are national parks or historical buildings, for example. This is a way to generate financial resources to maintain and preserve these places in their original state, while also regulating the flow and preventing harmful deterioration.
It may not be enjoyable if we have to do the same in the Faroe Islands, but it is unrealistic to think that we can return to the good old days with nearly no tourists. The problem will only worsen if we insist on living in a nostalgic ‘bubble’. We cannot avoid addressing the problem – at least not if we care for our country.
What About the Faroese Authenticity?
It is good if people see new opportunities within tourism and try to offer tourists different products and services. This can create new jobs and revive the economy, for example in the outskirts of the country. However, it is not appropriate to force everyone to do the same. One should respect that some wish to continue traditional farming practices as they always have. I believe it is somehow better to preserve the traditional farming community identity rather than everyone adapting to tourists’ needs. Where does the Faroese authenticity go if the whole society must change just to please tourists?
I have been to Iceland several times and have seen what mass tourism has done to the Icelandic society in just the last 10 years. And it is not all idyllic everywhere. Tourism has in many ways saved their economy, but it has also cost them a lot. I have often heard Icelanders say to the Faroese, please, don’t do as we do, but hold on to your own identity, instead of seeking short-term gains by changing yourselves – just to please tourists. You end up losing yourselves in it all. Learn instead from our mistakes.
If we want certain places to be preserved as they are, rather than just adapting to the demands of tourists, I believe it is worth considering whether, in some cases, payment should be required for people to visit these special places. This has worked elsewhere, so why not here? It is the authorities’ task to determine where payments should be made, who should pay, how payments are controlled, how they are paid, how much, to whom, and exactly what the money should be used for.
What other solution could help with the problem? Preventing tourists from travelling to the Faroe Islands? No, of course, isolating the Faroe Islands from the outside world is not a solution. It rarely bears fruit. So again: What is the alternative?
A Little Inspiration From Outside
In Denmark, they have an Outdoor Council that helps municipalities create plans for their beautiful and conservation-worthy natural areas.
https://www.friluftsraadet.dk/kommuner/danskenaturparker/
In the USA, the most visited natural areas have been transformed into national parks, where people have to pay to access them for walking/driving.
https://politiken.dk/rejser/art6174819/Entré-til-nationalparker-i-USA-står-til-stort-hop
The challenges of sustainable tourism are international challenges that many are trying to solve.
https://theconversation.com/sustainable-tourism-is-not-working-heres-how-we-can-change-that-76018
A comment from Magnus Pauli Poulsen with some concrete suggestions on how the area could be organized:
The easiest would have been a scheme in accordance with current law that would look something like this:
- Tourists should be able to hike for free and alone, but only along paths marked with cairns (perhaps more paths could be created, approved for individual, free tours, provided that safety is ensured).
- Tourists should be informed that it is not legal to walk in the wilderness outside the paths without a Faroese guide. It’s about respecting nature, the rights of locals, and the safety of tourists.
- The Faroese guides / tour guides could make direct agreements with farmers and pay them for permission to walk outside the paths. This way, competition would also come into play, and the payment would be tied to a service. No one says that a farmer, for example, should only be satisfied with 10, 20, or 30 DKK per person for a walk in the wilderness. And thus, more might offer their services so that not all tourists end up in the same places. Of course, it’s entirely up to the farmer whether they want to arrange hikes with a guide themselves. This way, one would have control over both the number of tourists and the safety of those who want to hike outside the paths, while respecting the farmers’ interests.
- And not least: The popular / vulnerable places should have a quota for how many tourists are allowed to walk outside the paths (e.g. x number per day / week / month, depending on what suits each place best). And this will obviously cost more, but that’s how it is when there is high demand compared to limited supply.
- Faroe Islanders should be given free access, as they have now, even though they do not have permission, but do it anyway because farmers tacitly accept it 🙂 (If Faroe Islanders go on a tour with a guide, the same rules should apply as for tourists).
In this way, there is control over the regulation of the number of tourists venturing off trails in the countryside, through tourism, and any potential fees for moving outside these trails are linked to an offering that includes a guide/tour leader.
Regarding complaints from Visit Faroe Islands concerning current legislation, I believe that tourism can only start from the bottom up – with the offerings they already have and practice. Tourist organizations do not need to call all 477 landowners. They can call those whose outlying areas they visit, and make an agreement to hike off the trails. Then everything is in accordance with the law.
Important to remember:
- Nature must be protected
Some places are already overcrowded. Landowners know their own areas. Here, a nature protection law should also apply, such as introducing quotas for overcrowding in fragile areas. - Activities on the farms should be respected
The values and interests vary from farm to farm, including sheep, geese, birds, egg collection, hare hunting, etc. The farmer knows where people come and disturb, and can see when things go wrong. This should be respected. - Tourist organizations should request permission to visit places they intend to visit
They know where they want to go. And they know who owns the land they want to access. It should not be so difficult to arrange for them to have permission from all whose land they wish to visit.
Changing the legislation so that tourists have free rein to move everywhere is not a sustainable solution. Not for nature, nor for the farmers. And in the end, neither for tourism if and when this destroys the best places.
